Oxidation of low-density lipoproteins by rat mesangial cells and the interaction of oxidized low-density lipoproteins with rat mesangial cells in vitro

Glomerulosclerosis and atherosclerosis share common pathobiologicalmechanisms. Experiments carried out in vitro over the past decadeusing cells thought to be involved in the atherosclerotic processsuch as endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and monocyte/macrophageshave shown that postsecretory modifications such as oxidationincrease the atherogenicity of LDL. Animal experiments employingantioxidant therapy have also been shown to slow the progressionof atherosclerotic lesions. We set out to investigate the interactionsbetween oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and rat mesangial cells (RMC) thatmight be of importance in the glomerulosclerotic process. Ourresults show that RMC have the ability to oxidize LDL, thatoxLDL binding was 2–3-fold greater than native LDL (nLDL),and that oxLDL was more cytotoxic to these cells than nLDL.We speculate that cell-mediated oxidation of LDL in vivo mayplay a role in the progression of the glomerulosclerotic process.